Improvement in machines for cleaning cotton



2Sh eets-Sheetl. S. D. KEENE.'

i Machine for Cleaning Cotton- No. 162,479. Farmen Apri|27,1s75.

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Machine-for Cleaning Cotto'n.,` No 162,479. PantedAprilzrywv.

Il'lllll l wv anim v THE GRAPHIC C0.PH OTO LITX'LSQ & 4\ PARK PLAGE, N

"NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL D. KEENE, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR CLEANING COTTON.

specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 162,479, amd April 27, 1875; application fried 1 September 19, 1874.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL DAvis KEENE, of Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented a certain new and useful Machine for Cleaning Cotton, of which the following is a specification:

My invention consists, rst, in combining with a set of drawing-rolls and a beater, or its equivalent, an adjustable mote-board; second, in combining, with a set ot condensers and drawing-rolls, an inclined grill, over which the cotton is drawn after it has passed the condensers. D This grill is provided with bars, each ot' which is covered with short spurs or pins extending upward for the purpose of separating the cotton, so as to loosen it sufficiently for it to allow the motes and dust to fall out.

The action of this invention can be best understood from the more full description which follows.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of myinvention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of the same. Fig. v3 is a plan of the same. Figs. 4. and 5 show parts in deta-il.

Let A represent the lap or apron upon which the cotton to be cleaned is placed. From this apron the cotton is fed into the sets of drawing-rolls B and B'. These drawing-rolls are made in the usual manner-that is, they are tinted-and the set B' are arranged to run faster than the set B, so that the mass of cotton orlap is stretched and opened in its passage. From these rolls the cotton is delivered to the action ot' the beater C. The beater C consists of a set of arms, c c c o, Fig. 2, and the bars e e c e. The bars e e e e extend longitudinally, as shown in Fig. 3, and, as the beater revolves, comes in close 'contact with the set of drawing-rolls B', so as to strike or beat the cotton as it passes out from between the rolls. This action of the lbeaters divides the cotton so as to allow the motes to be thrown out. The niote-boardD rests loosely7 on the bottom board D', and is so arranged that it may be readily adjusted lengthwise of the machine, so as to bring the front edge of the mote-board at a greater or less distance'from a line drawn vertically down from the feed roll B', without varying the space between the mote-board D' and the beater C. To do this I attach to the edge of the mote-board, at each end, a pin, d. (See Figs. 2 and 4.) These pins d are each attached to a plate, E, said plates E being each provided with a slot, f, through which a clamping-screw, G, passes.

To adjust the mote-board D, I have only to loosen the clamping-screw Gr, which will allow the plates E, and consequently the mote-board D, to be moved as desired.

To understand this part of my invention, the operator must keep in mind this fact,

namely, that, as the bars e e e e, which are in rapid motion, strike the cotton as it is delivered from the rolls B', it, the cotton, together with the motes and dirt, is thrown tangentially down, as indicated by the arrow, Fig. 2. The motion thus given to the cotton and motes is greatly modified by the current ot' air created by the beater in its revolution. The resultant effect is that the heavy partsi. e., tire motes and dirt-to a large extent pass nearly straight down by the edge ofthe moteboard into the waste-box, while the cotton, being light, is carried by the air-current onto the mote-board, and thence to the other parts of the machine.

I nd, in practice, that different grades of cotton require different positions for the edge of the mcteboard, and that the satisfactory working ofthe machine depends upon the adjustment of the lnote-board, so that its position may meet the requirements ot' the kinds of cotton being worked upon. A knowledge of the proper adjustment of the mote-board will be acquired by a skillful workman after a few experiments with the cotton to be acted upon. After the cotton has passed through the operation, as above described, it passes into chamber S, and thence through the perforating condensing-rolls K K'.

H is a sheet of wire gauze, and, from its nature, allows much of the dust and fine dirt to sift out of the cotton. F, Figs. l and 2, is a fan-blower, arranged, as shown, to inhale from the condensers K K', through the pipe L, and then out through the pipe m', Figs. 1 and 2. As the peripheries of the condensing-rolls K K' are perforated, it is evident that a strong current of air will flow from the chamber S toward and into them. This action of the air will draw the lcotton in the chamber S upon the rolls, and allow the rolls to condense the loose cotton into a lap. At the same time more of the dust will be freed from the cotton. After the cotton has passed through the condensing-rolls K K', it is delivered upon the grill M, and from thence passes through the drawing-rolls B2 B3 to the combing-cylinder N, and is iinally delivered at P, to be worked into a lap of cleaned cotton.

rlhe grill m, shown in Fig. 2, and plainer in perspective section in Fig.o5, consists of a set of bars, m m m m, each of which is provided with short pins p p p p. rlhe object of these pills is to open the cotton as it passes from the condensers K K to the drawing-rolls B2 B3, so as to allow the entangled mote, leaves, Src., to drop out through the openings between the bars.

rlhe mote-board 0 in Fig. 2 is adjustable at its front end by means ot slotted plates E and set-screws G', whereby, when desired, the angle ot slope o said mote-board may he varied, and also the position of the front edge of the saine, in respect to a vertical line drawn through the rear end of the grill, it being essential, in the treatment of various kinds of cotton, to vary the space between the combing-cylinder N, the feed-rolls B3B2, and the mote-board, so that in the operation of combing and beatin g performed by the cylinder N the mote-board shall be so inclined that the motes and leaves, &c., remaining in the cotton shall fly over the front edge of the mote-board, while the cotton shall always move down its incline.

I am aware that mote-boards have been made adjustable vertically in cotton-girls; but as the same were not adjustable longitudinally, and were not used in connection with feed-rolls of varying speeds, I do not claim such moteboards; but

I elaiin as my invention- 1. The combination of a beater and drawing-rolls, driven at different speed, with an adjustable'mote-board, all operating together, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination of the condensingrolls K K and the drawing-rolls B2 B3 with the grill M and the combing-cylinder N, all operating together, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

SAMUEL DAVIS KEENE.

Witnesses:

FRANK G. PARKER., WILLIAM EDsoN. 

